Project Summary/Abstract This grant request is for the third ?Emerging Issues in Cochlear Implantation? conference organized by the non-profit American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA) to be held March 8-10, 2018 in Washington, DC. The first two such conferences were held in October 2013 and 2015; both were supported by NIH R13 Conference Grants. The timeframe for this conference has been moved from Fall to early Spring to avoid conflicts with Fall meetings that some clinicians regularly attend. Conference attendance will span scientists and clinicians from across the cochlear implant (CI) continuum of care including otolaryngologists, audiologists, speech pathologists, psychologists, and others on CI teams. Secondary audiences for these topics include health insurance plan representatives and Federal and state employees including CMS, Tricare, and the VA. The emerging issues format allows an in-depth look at topics needing greater exploration and clinical guidance to advance the field. With CI candidacy expansion, there is a need to address ways to appropriately serve new recipients as well as previously implanted individuals who require care throughout their lifetime. In the pediatric realm, for children who are prelingually deaf and identified at birth, there is a need for parents to be counseled as to how to support their CI child?s language development at an earlier age than has been typical in the past. Recent research supports pediatric CI at 12 months of age or less. The ACIA Board of Directors selected four topics determined to be particularly important to CI outcomes and access in the immediate future?topics that have not been thoroughly explored in a clinical research context specific to cochlear implant care. These themes, as well as submitted podium and poster talks, will provide timely research and clinical insights. The topics are consistent with feedback that ACIA has received from its members via conference surveys and other contacts. The four Emerging Issues are: (1) Parental Engagement in Pediatric CI Outcomes, (2) Quality of Life Associated with Cochlear Implantation, (3) Cochlear Implant Practice Management: Maximizing Value for Optimal Delivery of Care, and (4) CI Candidacy in 2018. In addition, attendees may submit abstracts to present papers or posters on related topics during the afternoon each day and on Saturday morning. Students are encouraged to submit poster presentations and there will be an opportunity for selected poster presenters to give brief (3 minute) podium highlight talks, a format that was used successfully at the 2017 San Francisco pediatric meeting. The Board Chair is the overall Conference Chair while the PI is the conference Co-Chair. Emerging Issues Chairs were selected by the Board for their specialized expertise in the topics. The Chairs then determined program focus. These individuals were drawn from universities and other clinical settings from around the country and serve as the Conference Organizing Committee. Invited speakers are from wide-spread clinical settings (university, private or non-profit clinic, hospital), and diverse geographic areas. Proceedings will be developed and published online open access to encourage the widest possible distribution to varied audiences.